In the early days of computing, computer devices were configured to operate from a fixed location. Even today, a personal computer set up in a home would generally be useable only from the home. As such, these computers are geographically limited.
With the advent of mobile computing, some computer devices have become portable. A lap top computer or a mobile cell phone may travel with the user and generally be useable from any location. These portable computing devices have become devices that generally can be used anywhere, anytime.
Computer devices generally include a motherboard, memory, a keyboard and a display. The motherboard contains the “brains” of the computer device. The motherboard is the physical arrangement that holds the CPU. Motherboards also hold the memory, the basic input/output system (BIOS), expansion slot and interconnecting circuitry.
A conventional computer device is provided with its own motherboard. Each motherboard sits inside a computer box. The location of the motherboard inside the box makes it difficult to reach one or more of the parts of the motherboard if the part is to be replaced or upgraded. In particular, to replace or upgrade a part, a user needs to disassemble the computer box and reach inside the box to reach the part. Also, by locating the motherboard inside the box, the motherboard becomes integrated into the computer box. Accordingly, a motherboard is a dedicated device that is designed to serve one master—namely, the computer device into which the motherboard is integrated. Dedication of a motherboard to a master limits what the motherboard can do to tasks that are defined by the master. If a master is idle, the motherboard gets little use.
The present invention overcomes this and other shortcomings by providing a motherboard that is portably configured to serve more than one computer device.